BULLETIN  NO.  47.  ,  SEPTEMBER,  1897. 

OREGON  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

CHEMICAL-AGRICULTURAL  UEPART.AIENT8. 


THE  RELATIVE  DIGESTIBILITY 


OF' 

CHEAT  AND  CLOVER. 

« 

BY 

G  W.  SHAW.  Chemi.st,  and  H.  T.  FRENCH,  Agriculturist. 


The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all  residents  of 

Oregon  who  request  them. 


AtiRieULTUR.AL  COLLEGE  PRINTING  Ol'KICK 
G.  n.  KKADY,  PRINTER. 

1897. 


BOARD  OF  REGENTS. 


/.  T.  APPERSON,  President . Oregon  City 

W.  E.  YA  TES,  Secretary . Corvallis 

/.  K.  WEATHEREORD,  Treasurer . Albany 

IV AT  P.  LORD,  Governor . Salem 

//.  R.  KINCAID,  Secretary  of  Slate . Salem 

G.  AT  I R  IVIN,  Supt.  Public  Instruction . Salem 

WAI.  AT  II IT  LEARY,  AI aster  State  Grange . Turner 

T.  IV  DA  VENPORT. . Silver  ton 

W.  P.  READY . Portland 

W A L L IS  NA SH. . Portland 

BENTON  KILLIN . Portland 

JONAS  AL  CHURCH. . La  Grande 

SA  A I UE  L  H  UG  HES . Forest  G  rove 


COMMITTEES. 

EXECUTIVE. 

SAMUEL  HUGHES,  Chairman,  VV.  E.  YATES,  Secretary,  J.  T.  A  PPERSOH , 
WILLIAM  M.  HILLEARY,  BEE  TON  KILLIN. 

FINANCE. 

RENTON  KILLIN,  WM.  M.  HILLEARY,  J.  M.  CHURCH 

AGRICULTURE  AN  D  CH  EMISTR  Y. 

BEN  TON  KILLIN,  WILLI  A  M  M.  HILLEA  R  > 

HORTICULTURE  AND  ENTOMOLOGY. 

SAMUEL  HUGHES,  .  J.  K.  WEATHERFORD. 

MECHANICSAND  HOUSEHOLD  ECONOMY. 

J.  K.  WEATHERFORD,  SAMUEL  HUGHES,  WALLIS  NASH. 

LITERARY  DEPARTMENT  AND  LIBRARY. 

WALLIS  NASH,  T.  W.  DAVENPORT. 

ADVERTISING  AND  PRINTING. 

W.  P.  READY,  IV.  E.  YATES. 

BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS. 

W.  E.  YATES,  J.  M.  CHURCH. 

FARMERS’  INSTITUTES. 

J.  K.  WEATHERFORD,  IV.  E.  YATES. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


THOAIAS  AL  GATCH,  A.  AL,  Ph.  D . President  and  Director 

H.  T.  FRENCH,  AL  S . Agriculturist 

G.  W.  SHA  IV,  Ph.  D .  Chemist 

A.  B.  CORDLEY,  B.  S . Entomologist 

AfOSES  CRAIG,  AL  S . Botanist 

GEO.  COOTE . Horticulturist 


RELATIVE  DIGESTIBILITY  OF  CHEAT  AND  CLOVER  HAY. 

Much  controversy  has  arisen  over  the  comparative  value  of  Cheat  hay. 
Cheat  has  long  been  considered  a  valuable  hay-producing  plant  throughout 
the  Willamette  valley.  That  it  grows  well  there  is  little  doubt.  Many 
farmers  report  a  yield  of  three  to  four  tons  per  acre,  and  even  greater  yields 
are  often  mentioned.  The  average  yield  is  about  2^  tons  per  acre.  This 
portion  of  the  State  seems  to  be  the  natural  habitat  for  several  wild  species 
of  Bronius;  and  owing  to  the  certainty  with  which  Cheat  may  be  grown, 
and  the  uncertainty  which  attends  the  efforts  of  the  farmer  in  growing 
other  varieties  of  grasses,  it  is  not  strange  that  Cheat  should  be  retained  so 
tenaciously. 

Cheat  is  a  very  hardy  plant,  easily  withstanding  such  vicissitudes  of  climate 
as  are  likely  to  prevail  throughout  a  large  portion  of  Western  Oregon.  On 
low,  flat,  heavy  soil,  where  water  is  too  abundant  during  the  winter  months 
for  other  grasses  to  thrive.  Cheat  will  make  a  very  good  growth.  It  would 
not  be  easy  to  find  a  grass  that  can  surpass  Cheat  under  these  condi¬ 
tions.  On  the  higher  portions  of  the  land,  or  on  land  which  is  fairly  well 
drained,  there  are  other  varieties  of  grasses  and  clovers  which  may  be 
grown  suscessfully,  and  which  will  give  much  better  results  when  fed  to 
stock. 

The  question  upon  which  this  report  is  intended  to  throw  more  light  is 
not  a  question  of  growing  Cheat,  but  rather  its  value  as  compared  with 
Clover,  when  fed  to  cattle. 

It  is  a  common  practice  at  present  to  feed  Cheat  to  dairy  cows  as  well  as  to 
all  other  kinds  of  stock;  and  it  is  with  a  view  of  discouraging  its  growth  for 
dairy  stock  especially  that  these  facts  are  presented. 

The  question  of  profit  is  determined  more  largely  if  possible,  in  dairying, 
than  in  any  other  branch  of  farming, by  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  food  supply 
It  is  not  a  question  of  quantity  altogether,  but  of  quality,  and  a  proper  com¬ 
bination  of  food  constituents  to  produce  the  best  results.  The  dairy  cow  is  a 
delicately  wrought  machine  which  must  not  be  over  worked  in  consuming  a 
large  amount  of  material  that  is  not  needed,  in  order  to  get  a  sufficient  sup¬ 
ply  of  that  which  is  essential  in  the  production  of  milk. 

When  Cheat  is  fed  to  dairy  cows  the  creamery  man  complains  of  a  lack  of 
milk  supply,  and  this  fact  implies  that  the  farmer  is  simply  keeping  his  cows 
without  getting  proper  returns  from  them.  Much  is  said  in  these  days  re¬ 
garding  the  yield  of  butter  fat  as  an  indicator  of  the  value  of  a  cow  in  the 
dairy;  but  it  is  not  altogether  just  to  the  cow  to  apply  the  test  before  we 
have  learned  how  to  feed  her  properly.  While  the  food,  under  normal  con¬ 
ditions,  will  not  materially  change  the  per  cent,  of  butter  fat  in  milk,  it  will 
materially  change  the  total  yield  by  increasing  the  flow  of  milk. 

It  would  not  be  right  to  discourage  the  growth  of  Cheat  unless  there  is 
something  better  with  which  to  replace  it.  Over  a  large  portion  of  the 


4 


Willamette  valley,  where  Cheat  is  now  grown,  Clover  can  be  grown  success¬ 
fully,  This  has  been  thoroughly  demonstrated  on  the  Experiment  Station 
farm,  and  we  have  seen  the  same  results  obtained  on  other  farms  in  this 
portion  of  the  State. 

The  two  factors  entering  into  the  value  of  a  foodstuff  are  its  composition 
and  its  digestibility.  The  first  factor  is  determined  by  chemical  analysis 
alone.  The  second  is  determined  either  by  actual  trials  with  animals,  or 
with  artifical  digestion  fluids  made  to  correspond  closely  with  the  dige.stive 
fluids  of  the  body.  The  digestible  matter  for  most  of  the  common  cattle 
foods  has  been  determined  by  feeding  animals  for  a  stated  period  upon  food 
whose  composition  has  been  previously  determined  by  analysis.  The  ma¬ 
terial  so  used  is  weighed  and  the  excreta  of  the  animal  carefully  collected, 
weighed  and  analyzed. 

The  solid  excretum  is  simply  that  material  which  has  escaped  the  action 
of  the  digestive  fluids,  or  the  indigestible'  matter.  From  its  analysis,  and 
that  of  the  food  eaten,  can  be  calculated  the  amount  of  the  food  digested. 

The  per  cents  of  the  various  nutrients  that  can  be  digested  by  an  animal 
are  called  the  digestion  co-efficients. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  chemical  analysis  is  the  first  and  last  step  in  render¬ 
ing  intelligible  the  results  of  feeding  experiments.  It  is  absolutely  essen¬ 
tial  to  a  proper  understanding  of  the  material  used  in  rations,  if  we  desire  to 
feed  economically.  It  is  the  foundation  upon  which  the  whole  system  of 
rational  feeding  rests.  The  object  of  the  following  experiment;  from  the 
chemical  standpoint,  was  to  determine  the  digestion  co-efficients  of  Cheat 
[  Bromus  secalhius)  hay,  and  to  compare  its  digestibility  with  that  of  Red 
Clov'er  (  Trifoliiini  pratense')  when  fed  to  the  same  animal. 

It  seemed  the  more  essential  to  set  forth  the  results  thus  contrasted  since 
after  the  publication  of  Bulletin  39  numerous  persons — some  evidently  not 
having  read  the  bulletin — made  extravagant  statements  as  to  what  the  au¬ 
thor  claimed.  Now  the  fact  is  that  the  writer  never  did  assert  that  the  hay 
in  question  was  “worthless,”  for  such  a  statement  would  be  far  from  the 
truth.  What  he  did  intentionally  imply  was  that  Cheat  did  not  favorably 
compare  with  several  other  grasses  there  named,  either  from  the  standpoint 
of  a  food  or  in  economy  of  production.  Cheat,  and  even  straw,  can  be 
made  the  basis  of  a  ration,  but  it  is  certainly  poor  economy  to  feed  a  hay  of 
low  food  value  when  there  are  others  much  better  which  can  be  had;  and  it 
is  still  more  wasteful,  as  well  as  crude  and  unscientific,  to  feed  either  this 
or  any  other  coarse  food  alone,  when  the  advantages  to  be  gained  by  proper¬ 
ly  balanced  rations  are  so  clearly  set  forth  in  the  literature  of  the  day,  and 
are  so  well  recognized  by  the  most  eminent  feeders  of  the  countr}’. 

The  details  of  the  feeding  were  as  follows:  A  three  year  old  Short  Horn 
grade  steer  was  selected  for  the  experiment.  The  animal  was  placed  in  a 
stall  arranged  in  such  a  manner  that  the  excreta  could  be  collected  without 
loss.  The  apparatus  used  was  that  recommended  by  Professor  Arnisby,  of 
Pennsylvania.  It  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration.  The  appar¬ 
atus  was  found  well  adapted  to  the  work.  The  preliminary  feeding  began 
on  February  17,  1896,  and  continued  till  March  2d,  during  which  time 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/relativedigestib47shaw 


the  animal  was  fed  in  the  same  manner  as  during  the  actual  digestion 
period.  During  the  last  four  days  of  this  time  the  harness  was  adjusted 
to  the  steer,  and  the  conditions  made  identical  with  those  of  the  digestion 
period. 

The  hay  was  cut  as  for  ordinary  feeding,  and  after  being  thoroughly  mixed, 
was  weighed  into  rations,  and  a  sample  of  each  placed  in  an  air  tight  bottle 
and  brought  to  the  laboratory"  for  analysis.  The  first  of  the  prepared  rations 
was  fed  to  the  steer  on  March  2d,  at  5  p.  m.,  and  the  experiment  ended  at  5 
p.  m.,  March  8th.  The  water,  as  well  as  the  food,  given  to  the  animal  was 
carefully  weighed.  The  amounts  of  each  consumed,  together  with  the 
weight  of  excreta,  and  the  weight  of  the  animal  are  given  in  Tables  I  and 
II.  It  is  somewhat  interesting  to  note  the  fact  that  the  animal  voided  58 
per  cent  more  urine  during  the  Clover  experiment  than  when  fed  on  the 
Cheat.  .  During  the  same  time  he  drank  20  per  cent,  more  water.  The 
samples  of  dung  were  brought  to  the  laboratory  where  they  were  reduced 
to  an  air-dried  condition,  and  after  being  ground  till  the  entire  material 
would  pass  through  a  one-millimeter  sieve,  were  preserved  in  air-tight  bot¬ 
tles  till  analyzed. 

TABIvE  I— CHEAT. 


Dates. 

*>1 

,  5  0 

•  ^ 

Weight  of  urine 

Weight  of  solid  \ 
excreta . 

Weight  of  ani¬ 
mat . 

Pounds  Pounds  Pounds  Pounds 

Pon  lids 

March  3 . : . 

16  37 

iiK 

29/4 

1006 

March  4 . 

16  40^ 

7 

35 

1012 

March  s . . 

16  ' 

30/ 

1002 

March  6 . . 

16  ;  44 

8 

34 

1007 

March  7 . 

16  32>4 

83/ 

37/ 

1008 

March  8 . 

16  1  33 

9 

32/ 

1006 

Total . 

96  ,  2151X 

47/ 

199^ 

table  II— clover. 


Dates. 

1 

Food  eaten . 

TV 

Sj. 

ft- 

•XA 

*V  , 

"V 

1  Weight  of  solid 

excreta . 

Weight  of  ani¬ 
mal . 

Pounds 

Pounds 

Pounds 

Pounds 

Pounds 

March  23 . 

15 

21 

19 

30 

988 

March  24 . 

15 

70 

22/ 

28 

993 

March  23 . 

15 

40 

18/ 

33/ 

991 

March  26 . 

I  s 

aq\4 

16 

-6 

QQ2 

March  27 . . 

15 

42/ 

18/ 

32 

991 

March  28 . 

15 

47 

18/ 

31 

992 

Total . . . 

90 

270 

113/ 

190/ 

The  composition  of  the  two  hays  was  as  follows  : 


TABLE  III. 


Material. 

Clover. 

Cheat. 

W'ater . ; . 

Dry  matter . 

4.27 

95.73 

Dr>' 

matter. 

7.00 
^3-00  . 

Dry 

;  matter. 

Ether  Extract . 

Protein . 

Crude  P'ibre . 

Nitrogen-free  Extract . 

3.35 

14.84 
28.83 
.  40. 20 
8.50 

3 -.50 

15-50 

30.11 

41.12 

8.77 

1-95 
6.06 
31.80 
44  10 
9.09 

2.09 

6.52 

34.19 

47-43 

9-77 

Total  drv  matter . 

1 

95-73  i 

1 

100.00 

93.00 

100.00 

For  a  full  description  of  the  terms  above  employed  the  reader  is  referred 
to  Bulletin  39,  but  for  the  sake  of  reference  the  following  resume  is  here  in¬ 
serted: 


Protein,  albumenoids,  and  nitrogenous  matter  mean  the  same  thing,  and 
are  represented  by  the  white  of  an  egg,  lean  meat  and  the  gummy  part  of 
wheat.  Other  things  being  equal,  that  food  has  the  highest  food  value 
which  is  the  richest  in  digestible  protein.  The  function  of  this  class  of 
bodies  is  that  of  muscle  forming.  The  term  Ether  Extract  in  the  case  of 
grains  might  well  be  expressed  by  the  word  fat,  which  is  frequently  used, 
but  in  the  case  of  grasses  and  other  coarse  foods  there  is  also  included  color¬ 
ing  matter  and  certain  gums.  Crude  fibre  is  a  term  used  to  express  the 
more  woody  parts  of  the  plant,  and  is  well  represented  by  paper  and  cotton 
fibre.  It  is  closely  allied  to  starch,  and  with  the  next  group  belongs  to  the 
class  of  carbohydrates.  The  Nitroge7i-free  Extract  is  best  represented  by 
such  bodies  as  sugar  and  starch,  which  together  with  the  Ether  Extract  and 
Fibre  serve  to  form  animal  fat  and  heat. 

As  stated  above  the  indigestible  matter  constitutes  the  dung.  This  was 
collected  during  the  period  of  the  experiment,  weighed  and  analyzed. 
table  IV— the  steer  voided  .\s  dung. 

Dry  Matter. 

Of  the  clover  hay.  190.5  lbs .  32.37  lbs. 

Of  the  cheat  hay,  199.7  .  49.10  lbs. 

The  zvater-free  dung  showed  the  following  compo.sition:  * 

table  V. 


Ether  Extract . 

Protein . ■ 

Clover.  1 

Cheat. 

4.51 

15.40 

33.32 

32.24 

14.53 

2.56 

6.S9 

33.24 

^3-47 

43-84 

Crude  P'ibre . 

Nitrogen-free  Extract . 

Total . 

100.00 

100.00 

*The  nitrogen  was  corrected  for  metabolic  nitrogen  according  to  the  method  suggested 
by  Dr.  Jordan  in  Annual  Report  of  Maine  Station,  1S8S. 


i 


From  the  above  figures,  computing  the  ingredients  of  the  dung  excreted 
during  the  experiment,  we  have: 

TABLE  VI. 


Clover. 

Cheat. 

FYtrnr'l  _ 

1,46 

4.98 

I  .78 
10.52 
4.70 

1,26 

Protein . . . . . 

3-38 

16.22 

Crude  fibre . 

Nitrogen-free  Extract,,.. 
Ash . 

21.58 

6.66 

Total . 

32.37 

49  10 

These  figures  represent  the  indigestible  matter.  It  is  evident,  then,  that 
if  these  be  subtracted  from  the  figures  representing  the  ingredients  eaten, 
we  shall  obtain  the  amounts  digested. 


table  VII— showing  digestibility  of  clover  hay. 


Material, 

Dry 

Matter. 

Ether 

Extract. 

Protein. 

Crude 

Fibre. 

Nitrogen- 

free 

Extract. 

Ash. 

In  90  ft)s.  clover  hav . 

86.15 

3.02 

13-35 

25.94 

36.29 

7-55 

In  i90.5.1bs.  clover  dung . 

32.37 

1.46 

4,98 

10.78 

10.52 

4.70 

Amounts  digested,  lbs . 

53.78 

1.56 

8.37 

15.16 

25-77 

2.85 

table  VIII— showing  digestibility  of  cheat  hay. 


Material. 

Dry 

Matter. 

Ether 

Extract 

Protein. 

Crude 

Fibre. 

Nitrogen- 

free 

Extract. 

Ash. 

In  96  lbs.  cheat  hay . 

89.28 

1.86 

581 

30.52 

42.37 

8.72 

In  199.7  lbs.  cheat  dung . 

49.10 

1.27 

3.38 

16.22 

21  58 

6.66 

Amounts  digested,  ft)s . 

40.18 

60 

2.43 

14.30 

20,72 

2.06 

• 

The  following  table  shows  the  comparative  digestibility  of  the  constitu¬ 
ents  in  each  food  stuff  used  in  the  experiment: 

table  IX— digestion  co-efficients. 


Clover.  Cheat. 


Drj'  Matter .  62  45 

Ether  Extract . ;  .  .  55  32 

Protein .  63  42 

.  Crude  Fibre, .  59  46 

Nitrogen-free  Extract .  71  49 

Ash .  37  23 


Computing  the  nutritive  ratio*  for  each,  as  determined  by  the  experi¬ 
ment,  it  is  is  found  to  be: 


For  clover  hay . i:  5.3 

For  cheat  hay . i  :i5.o 


8 


The  chemical  analysis  shows  that  Cheat  contains  a  larger  per  cent,  of  indi¬ 
gestible  woody  fiber  than  Clover,  and  less  than  half  as  much  protein  or  flesh 
formers.  In  carbohydrates,  or  those  substances  which  go  largely  to  keep  up 
animal  heat,  the  Cheat  is  better  provided  than  the  Clover.  This  to  a  certain 
extent  explains  why  the  Cheat  gives  such  favorable  results  in  keeping  stock 
animals,  or  those  which  are  being  kept  over  winter.  In  the  fat  contained 
the  Cheat  is  not  nearly  as  well  provided  as  the  Clover, 

The  nutritive  ratio  is  rather  wide— that  is  there  is  a  large  proportion  of 
carbohydrates  to  the  protein,  or  flesh  forming  substances— there  being  15  of 
the  former  to  one  of  the  latter.  It  is  not  economical  to  require  the  animal 
functions  to  take  care  of  so  much  crude  fiber  in  order  to  obtain  a  sufficient 
supply  of  nitrogenous  material.  It  is  cheaper  to  supply  the  deficiency  by  a 
better  balanced  ration.  This  might  be  done  by  feeding  liberally  with  bran 
oil  meal,  pea  meal,  or  cotton  seed  meal,  but  in  feeding  these  concentrated 
foods  the  expense  is  materially  increased.  The  best  results  will  be  obtained 
when  we  feed  in  the  coarse  food  as  nearly  a  complete,  or  balanced,  ration 
as  possible.  _ _ _ _ 

*  Found  bv  inultiplving  the  Ether  Extract  by  2^.  adding  to  the  product  the  Crude 
l'ibre»aud  Nitrogen-free  Extract,  and  dividing  by  the  Protein,  It  expresses  the  relation 
between  the  carbohydrates  and  the  protein. 


